Warning! - Chapter rated PG-13
Chapter 6
.
"Am I to assume that my fifth year Slytherins are still alive, breathing, and as nosey as they were last night?"
Harry grinned and turned to find Severus presenting him with a hot cup of coffee, both sweetened and strong beyond belief. He took a sip and closed his eyes in bliss.
"Thank you, love."
He opened his eyes.
"Yes, your Slytherins were a little, well, inquisitive, but so were the Hufflepuffs, and in the end we all got along fine thanks to a mutual opinion on Professor Lockhart's professorial aptitude or lack thereof."
Severus snorted.
"Yes, I heard some complaints last year about that - his favourite colour, apparently, is lilac, not just purple."
Harry snorted into his cup. Trust Severus to absorb even information as useless as that. But then again he had a similar brain.
"He says so in Year With A Yeti, didn't you know?"
Severus snorted this time, and they sat down in what was strictly speaking one armchair, but it was a rather large one. And who cared if Harry was half-on, half-off Severus' lap?
Apparently most of the staff cared, all staring at them.
Severus glared, and when that didn't work, most of them being immune from having taught him, he just continued on with their conversation.
"So you don't learn anything relevant about potion making, but you learn that Gilderoy Lockhart's favourite colour is bloody lilac?"
"Oh, I learnt some things about potion making."
Severus gave him a look that clearly specified that if he even hinted at the flavoured lubricant he would abruptly find himself on the floor and alone, so Harry went the less erotic direction. They were in public after all.
"I learnt that Draft of Living Death is made by adding powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood," he said, semi-indignantly. Severus snorted, putting an arm around Harry's back, and people obviously recognised it as an inside joke and left it there.
"Very well. Did you cave and let my Slytherins know about our private life?"
Harry batted his leg.
"I didn't cave. I simply… allowed them to know a few facts about myself in order to begin our bonding process. Nothing they wouldn't be finding out anyway. And I got us a few offers of babysitting should we need them."
Severus narrowed his eyes.
"Slytherin or Hufflepuff?"
Harry rolled his own eyes.
"Slytherin, Sev, not that it matters."
"It matters - I can be assured that, if only for fear of their body-parts, pets, and house pride, my Slytherins would take utmost care of Tristan."
Professor Sprout ambled past.
"Oh, my Hufflepuffs are a vigilant bunch, too. If you ever need a few more offers I'll ask around."
Ignoring Severus' glare, in fact elbowing him in an attempt to get rid of it, Harry smiled gratefully.
"Thank you, Professor. If we ever do, that'll be grand."
"Grand?" Severus asked derisively.
"Yes, grand. I got it from Seamus - you don't spend seven years in close contact with someone and not pick up a few things - look at us; you picked up a, however small, amount of patience with Gryffindors from being in contact with me."
Minerva across the table sniggered into her tea and Severus raised an eyebrow.
"Minerva, are you insinuating that I have not exercised more patience with Gryffindors in recent years?"
Minerva sniggered more.
"I wasn't insinuating, I was laughing, but if you truly wish me to comment, then I'll outright state that Harry has indeed managed to whip you into shape."
There was silence as people waited to see how Severus would take it. Harry wasn't worried, and neither were Albus or Minerva, but they knew him quite well. Severus simply looked mock-outraged at Harry.
"Harry, darling, I thought we weren't to speak of the whips to other people!"
Minerva choked on her tea and Albus sprayed digestive crumbs over his beard. Harry fought the impulse to laugh, too, and tried to look stern.
"Yes, well you told Albus about the chains, pet, it's only fair!"
At that he broke down into fits of giggles and let himself be supported against the vibrating chest of his gently chuckling lover. After a while people began to realise they'd been joking and joined in with their laughter.
Harry was laughing so hard he could hardly breathe, so to stop him from keeling over due to lack of oxygen to the brain, Severus kissed him.
Harry responded automatically by taking in a deep breath, opening his mouth and deepening the kiss. They kissed until Harry ran out of air again, and when they came up for more they realised the room was silently staring at them.
Oops, thought Harry, so much for no public displays of affection in the staff room when there are people there.
It had been one of their 'if you're going to work with me there will have to be some rules' rules, but then again, it had been Severus who had broken it, and it had been his rule.
Severus stared at him for a while, and then the bell rang.
Harry gulped down his coffee, kissed Severus on the temple and told him he'd see him at lunch before bolting out of the room to get there before the first year Ravenclaws could blow up his room by attempting textbook spells they'd never practiced before but were sure they could do. It had happened many times before, he knew, so he ran rather fast to make sure it didn't happen on his watch.
He didn't see that in the staff room Severus was glaring at the starers, wiping the mouth-shaped coffee stain off his temple and finally crossing his arms and asking, "what?" in a way which told people that he knew he'd made a scene and that it'd been his own fault but that he didn't want to think about that, thank you very much. He didn't have to see it, though, to know that it was happening.
::TBC::
Chapter 6
.
"Am I to assume that my fifth year Slytherins are still alive, breathing, and as nosey as they were last night?"
Harry grinned and turned to find Severus presenting him with a hot cup of coffee, both sweetened and strong beyond belief. He took a sip and closed his eyes in bliss.
"Thank you, love."
He opened his eyes.
"Yes, your Slytherins were a little, well, inquisitive, but so were the Hufflepuffs, and in the end we all got along fine thanks to a mutual opinion on Professor Lockhart's professorial aptitude or lack thereof."
Severus snorted.
"Yes, I heard some complaints last year about that - his favourite colour, apparently, is lilac, not just purple."
Harry snorted into his cup. Trust Severus to absorb even information as useless as that. But then again he had a similar brain.
"He says so in Year With A Yeti, didn't you know?"
Severus snorted this time, and they sat down in what was strictly speaking one armchair, but it was a rather large one. And who cared if Harry was half-on, half-off Severus' lap?
Apparently most of the staff cared, all staring at them.
Severus glared, and when that didn't work, most of them being immune from having taught him, he just continued on with their conversation.
"So you don't learn anything relevant about potion making, but you learn that Gilderoy Lockhart's favourite colour is bloody lilac?"
"Oh, I learnt some things about potion making."
Severus gave him a look that clearly specified that if he even hinted at the flavoured lubricant he would abruptly find himself on the floor and alone, so Harry went the less erotic direction. They were in public after all.
"I learnt that Draft of Living Death is made by adding powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood," he said, semi-indignantly. Severus snorted, putting an arm around Harry's back, and people obviously recognised it as an inside joke and left it there.
"Very well. Did you cave and let my Slytherins know about our private life?"
Harry batted his leg.
"I didn't cave. I simply… allowed them to know a few facts about myself in order to begin our bonding process. Nothing they wouldn't be finding out anyway. And I got us a few offers of babysitting should we need them."
Severus narrowed his eyes.
"Slytherin or Hufflepuff?"
Harry rolled his own eyes.
"Slytherin, Sev, not that it matters."
"It matters - I can be assured that, if only for fear of their body-parts, pets, and house pride, my Slytherins would take utmost care of Tristan."
Professor Sprout ambled past.
"Oh, my Hufflepuffs are a vigilant bunch, too. If you ever need a few more offers I'll ask around."
Ignoring Severus' glare, in fact elbowing him in an attempt to get rid of it, Harry smiled gratefully.
"Thank you, Professor. If we ever do, that'll be grand."
"Grand?" Severus asked derisively.
"Yes, grand. I got it from Seamus - you don't spend seven years in close contact with someone and not pick up a few things - look at us; you picked up a, however small, amount of patience with Gryffindors from being in contact with me."
Minerva across the table sniggered into her tea and Severus raised an eyebrow.
"Minerva, are you insinuating that I have not exercised more patience with Gryffindors in recent years?"
Minerva sniggered more.
"I wasn't insinuating, I was laughing, but if you truly wish me to comment, then I'll outright state that Harry has indeed managed to whip you into shape."
There was silence as people waited to see how Severus would take it. Harry wasn't worried, and neither were Albus or Minerva, but they knew him quite well. Severus simply looked mock-outraged at Harry.
"Harry, darling, I thought we weren't to speak of the whips to other people!"
Minerva choked on her tea and Albus sprayed digestive crumbs over his beard. Harry fought the impulse to laugh, too, and tried to look stern.
"Yes, well you told Albus about the chains, pet, it's only fair!"
At that he broke down into fits of giggles and let himself be supported against the vibrating chest of his gently chuckling lover. After a while people began to realise they'd been joking and joined in with their laughter.
Harry was laughing so hard he could hardly breathe, so to stop him from keeling over due to lack of oxygen to the brain, Severus kissed him.
Harry responded automatically by taking in a deep breath, opening his mouth and deepening the kiss. They kissed until Harry ran out of air again, and when they came up for more they realised the room was silently staring at them.
Oops, thought Harry, so much for no public displays of affection in the staff room when there are people there.
It had been one of their 'if you're going to work with me there will have to be some rules' rules, but then again, it had been Severus who had broken it, and it had been his rule.
Severus stared at him for a while, and then the bell rang.
Harry gulped down his coffee, kissed Severus on the temple and told him he'd see him at lunch before bolting out of the room to get there before the first year Ravenclaws could blow up his room by attempting textbook spells they'd never practiced before but were sure they could do. It had happened many times before, he knew, so he ran rather fast to make sure it didn't happen on his watch.
He didn't see that in the staff room Severus was glaring at the starers, wiping the mouth-shaped coffee stain off his temple and finally crossing his arms and asking, "what?" in a way which told people that he knew he'd made a scene and that it'd been his own fault but that he didn't want to think about that, thank you very much. He didn't have to see it, though, to know that it was happening.
::TBC::